Make Believe
by Aya-kun Rose
Summary: Nobodies. No hearts, no feelings, only someone else's memories in someone else's body. Axel and Roxas pretend. ..total spoilage, guys..


Axel strode out onto one of the castle's many balconies, where the object of his search glared angrily up at the misshapen moon. "Hey, Roxas! I thought I'd find you—"

"The only reason people do anything is to get something from it. The only goal people have in life is to collect stuff," Roxas spat, not looking back.

Coming up to the boy's side at the edge, Axel raised an eyebrow. "Well, well. Look who woke up on the philosophical side of the bed this morning." He leaned back against the low wall, grinning up at the glittery side of the castle.

Roxas ignored him, as he usually did when he felt like being angry. "Think about it. People only want to _get_ things. They _get_ jobs to _get_ money to _get_ anything they want. There's nothing anybody does that doesn't get them something. They just want to collect as much stuff as they can, and then they die, and nothing they ever did ever mattered."

Axel listened, not particularly caring about the conversation. He knew Roxas wasn't really worked up about it, but he'd humor the kid for a while. "Why's this got you so mad?" he asked, waving his hand idly around in the air. "What does it matter that people collect stuff? It's not like you're one of them anymore."

"Because!" Roxas answered. "Because they're so greedy that it carries over. Look at the Heartless. The _only_ thing they do is collect hearts. That's it. They have no other purpose."

Axel laughed. "Yeah, but you're not a Heartless either!"

"Might as well be—we think we're so much better than them, but we're doing the same thing, aren't we? Heartless-Ansem and Nobody-Xemnas, they had the same goal, right?" Roxas looked up at Axel, blue eyes wide and searching.

That made Axel slightly uncomfortable. He tossed a glance over his shoulder, up at Kingdom Hearts. "Well…I wouldn't go that far. We're collecting hearts, yeah, but it's not just for the hearts. We're doin' it to get our _lives_ back."

Roxas looked back up at the giant heart. "Yeah. Our lives. Lives we'll spend getting jobs and houses and friends and trophies and clothes and everything else," he scoffed.

Axel turned and gazed out at the Dark City below. "Not everything we do is to get something."

"Like what? What have you done that wasn't to get something?" Roxas was unbelieving.

"Like…" Axel wondered himself. "Like—like how I came out here to enjoy the view." He looked down at Roxas and grinned. "What do I get out of that?"

The boy gave the older Nobody a small glare. "Something, I'm sure."

"See? Not everything is as selfish as you think it is." He knocked into Roxas playfully with a slim hip.

Roxas grunted, scooting away down the railing. "No, you said it yourself. It's to enjoy it, to make yourself happier or calmer or whatever."

Axel shook his head. "You should know better. I _can't_ enjoy it. Can't be happy. That's why we're building Kingdom Hearts, remember? Even if you want to compare me to a Heartless, I'd do anything to feel again." He glanced out across the horizon, grimacing. "Not like this view would do much for me, though."

Roxas was quiet. "You'd really do anything to feel again?"

Axel shrugged, pushing away from the wall. "Yeah, pretty much. Wouldn't you?"

They boy nodded slowly. "I guess I am. That's why I have the Keyblades, after all."

"So you'd better keep up the hard work!" Axel said good-naturedly, ruffling Roxas' hair and taking several quick steps away.

Roxas frowned, pulling up his hood defensively. "Hey! I don't think I should help you at all. Don't need to. I mean, when we hang out, you always seem pretty happy."

Axel laughed, not bothering to deny it. "And you always seem pretty angry."

Roxas grinned for the first time, watching his friend head back towards the castle. "Maybe it's because I really am."

"Right. And I'm really happy," Axel said sarcastically over his shoulder. "Save it for when you have a heart again."

"Hey, Axel?" the boy called.

Axel stopped near the door, half turning. "Yeah, Roxas?"

"Why'd you come out here, for real?"

There was a pause. Then Axel started for the door again. "I was lookin' for you," he drawled as he disappeared inside.

Roxas turned back to the cloudy night and Kingdom Hearts, smiling. One day soon they'd both be able to feel again. But for now, he didn't think it was so bad to help each other pretend.


End file.
